Wall clip



Dec. 14, 1943. I F.'L'A GRIOTTA WALL CLIP Filed'Jan. 3 1, 1941 INVENTOR Patented Dec. 14, 1943 WALL CLIP Frank La Grotta, New York, N. Yr, assignor to Conver Steel & Wire 00., Incorporated, a corporation of New York Application January 31, 1941, Serial-No. 376,818

Claims.

This invention relates to a clip for supporting the wall base board or boards of a wall construction.

The object of the invention resides in the provision of such a clip that is so constructed that the clip may be secured to the floor and the wall base board or boards then supported on the clip and thereafter by a simple manual operation view showing the relation of the supporting and locking means; and

Figure 6 is a fragmentary sectional view of a modification of the clip.

In the form of the invention illustrated in the drawing the clip includes a base I, a web 2, which latter is provided with supporting channel members 3 that have flanges 4 thereon. These flanges are recessed at '5. The channel members 3 are bevelled as at 6 at their upper ends to snug- 1y fit within and conform to the shape of the flanges "I on the upper edges of the wall base boards 8, which wall base board are also provided with flanges 8 at their lower edges. I I

The base i is provided with openings) for the reception of means, such as nails, for securing the clip to the floor. It is also provided with a struck-out tongue ll, having an elongated slot 12 therein, which latter is adapted to receive means, such as a nail, for securing a clipto the floor.

With this type of securing means the clip is permitted to have movement in relation to the floor in order to adjust itself to the floor and the wall base boards when the floor is uneven, without disturbing the positive securement of the clip to the floor. This is because of the fact that during any bending of the base of the clip during the adjustment of the clip to the floor the tongue II will bend and there will remain a three-point positive securement.

In assembling the wall boards on the clip as thus far described, the clip is first secured to the floor and the wall base boards simply dropped into place with the bevelled ends 6 of the supporting channel members 3 engaged beneath the erably bevelled at its upper end as at H.

flanges l on the upper edges of the Wall boards.

The wall base boards will thus be supported by the clip.

Of course if the clip is to be used for the support of only one wall base board one of thesupporting channel members may be omitted.

In order that the wall base boards may be locked on the supporting channel member 6, I have provided in connection with each channel member a locking element I3, which is pivotally and slidably connected with the adjacent channel member by means of a rivet or the lik I4, which is pivotally and slidably engaged in a slot I5. Each of these locking elements is of a Width slightly less than that of the channel member 3 for a purpose which will later appear, and each is provided with a thumb piece I6, which is pref- The lower end of each locking element is bent outwardly as at l8 and is capable of flexible or resilient movement to permit it to be flexed into its locking position. When the wall base boards are in place on the supporting channels 3 the locking elements will be in substantially the position shown in construction lines in Figure' iof the drawing.

In order to lock the wall base boards on the supporting channels it is only necessary for the operator to exert pressure on the thumb piece 16 to cause it to move about its pivot My As the lower end l8 of the locking element rides within the channel formed by the flange 9 at the lower edge of the'wall base board, the locking element will move pivotally on the pivot i l and thispivot will slide upwardly in the slot [5 until it engages the upper end of the slot. At the time of'this engagement the distance between the channels formed by the flanges 1 and 9 of the wall board Will be slightly less than the distance between v the upper edge 6 of the channel member 3 and the lower edge E8 of the locking element, so that continued force applied to the thumb piece will cause a flexing of the lower end [8 of the looking element as the ivot M reacts against the upper end of the slot IS with the result that the Wall base boards that are supported by the channel members 4 will be securely locked thereto.

During the pivotal and sliding movement of the locking elements I3 the thumb pieces [6 will slide behind the flanges 4 as illustrated in Fi ures 2 and 4 of the drawing, which will further prevent the accidental disengagement of the locking elements after they have once been forced into their locking positions and the passage of these thumb pieces it behind the flanges 4 will be facilitated by the bevelled ends I! of the thumb pieces.

In order that the studding 19 may be supported by the clip, I have provided the base of the clipwith struck-cut fingers 20 and 2!, the intermediate fingers 2| being wider than the fingers 20, so that the studding l 9 may be engaged with the fingers2l and with either of the fingers 20. Thus the studding may be supported by the clip closer to either of the wall base boards depending upon the side of the studding on whichvit is desired to place'the metal lath. V I In Figure 6' of the drawing I have showna slight modification of my device wherein :the

slot l5 takes the form of an arcuate slot l5Whic-h will facilitate the movement of the locking element and will throwthe pivot of the locking element over dead center to further assist in securing the locking element in its'locking position. WhileI haveillustrated and described a particular form of my invention, it is to be understood that certain changes in the structure thereotmay be made without departing from the spirit ofthe invention or exceeding the scope of the claims. e

-What I'claim' is: I I I V i 1, A clip for a wall base boardhaving .upper andlower inwardly extending flanges, "a basefand 1aweb'extending-upwardly i rom the base, a tongue 7 struck from the base, and meansfor securing the fjtongue to, the floor of a building construction ,whereby the base and web may have upward and .downward movement, an extension on the' web adapted to engage beneath the upper flange of the :wall board to support the same, a. locking member pivotally and slidably mounted on the extension and adapted to swing into line "therewith to engage, the lower flange of'thebase board to'wedge the locking member and'emzension-betweenxthe'upper and lower'flanges of the-base board'to support and lock the same to the web,

I and a flange adapted to-engage the locking: mem- "zberbetween its pivot andiits freeend to maintain :thelocking member against accidental displacement. I

' 2.:A wall board-clip having upper and; lower to support the wall board and lock the same to the flange, and a flange adapted to engage the locking member between its pivot and its free end to maintain the locking member against accidental displacement.

3. A clip for a wall board having upper and lower inwardly extending flanges, which includes .an upstanding web, means for securing the web 7 to the floor of a building construction, 'a channel 1 0 member extending'from said web adapted to en- ;gage beneath the upper flange of the wall board, a a locking member pivotally and slidably mounted on the web and adapted to engage the lower p flangepf the wall board and to move into said i-char'inel membenwhen engaged with the lower 7 fiangebf the wall board whereby the locking member will be locked with said channel member. 4. 1 clip for awall board having upper and lower-inwardly extending flanges, which includes an upstanding web, means for securing the web to thefflcorfloi, a building construction, a channel member extending rigidly from said web and adapted to engage beneath the inwardly turned upper flangeof the wall board, a locking member, said channel member having a slot therein having its upper 'end located above the lowerend of the channel member and its" lower end'at least 'as'lowas the'lower'end of the channel'member,a pivot securing the locking member to the web and extending into and movable in gsaidlslot whereby the locking member may be swung to engage the lower flange of the wall board and its upper pivoted end'will moveupw'ardly'in the slot in the channel member during its swinging movement, whereby the reverse pivotal movement of the locking member will be,,prevented by the lower end of the channel member.

5. A clip for a wall board having inwardly 'extending upperand lower flanges, which includes 40 an upstanding web, a rigid extension of said upstandingweb adapted-to engage beneath the upper flange of the wallboard, a locking member, said web having an arcuate slot therein, a pivot extending through and s'lida'ble-in said slot and connecting the locking member pivotally and slidably witlr the web vwhereby when the pivot is at the upper end-o'f-the arcuate slot the accidental displacement of the locking member will "be resisted bythe 'arcuateform of the slot, and a-flange adaptedto engage the locking member between; its pivot andflits free endto maintain the locking memberagainst accidental displacement. a a a Y 7 VFRANK LA GROTTA. 

